Affliction
by Ashley Rabbit
Summary: SEQUEL TO AMBIVALENCE. Two months ago, they were freed. So, why does it feel like they are still imprisoned? Tony can't help but build more and more suits, when he's not drinking. Loki feels that his anxiety is killing him, along with his illness. And to make matters worse, what they've faced in the months before was only the tip of the iceberg.
1. Chapter 1

I'm back! I tried to hurry and get this finished so I could post it today, after coming home from a beach trip.

So, here we go again. Chapter one, very Tony centric (don't worry, Loki will have more focus next chapter). Also slightly short. I apologize if its not quite up to par. Beginnings are always hard, even in sequels. Either way, hope you guys enjoy it.

* * *

When Tony awakened from his sleep, he realized he wasn't in his room.

He wasn't in the Tower or his house.

He blinked. He knew this place. This dark, dusty familiar place.

He sat up quickly. The skin of his stomach burned. Flesh feeling as though it had been torn.

He looked around his environment. Standing near the door was the man who's name he didn't know. The man who only spoke Russian and was in charge of his care, during his heat exhaustion.

"What are you doing, here?" Tony asked, desperately.

The man narrowed his eyes.

Tony immediately stood, heading for the door. The man moved in front of him. His arms crossed.

"Move," Tony commanded.

The man lifted an eyebrow.

Tony ground his teeth together.

Was this son of a bitch _amused_ by this?

"_Move_," he said once more, shakily, this time.

The man placed his hand firmly against his chest. Pushing him back to the ratty bed.

Tony roughly sat, feeling light headed. He squeezed his eyes shut. Opening them again.

He was still in the same place.

No, this couldn't be right.

The man handed him a glass of water. Putting it close enough to harshly tap against his lips.

Tony swatted it away, with a satisfying clattering of breaking glass.

The man crossed his arms again, frowning at the mess.

Tony didn't care. He pulled his knees up to his chest, grabbing onto the cuffs of his pants.

"Where's Pepper?"

The man tilted his head.

"And Bruce? And Steve? Where is everyone?"

He mumbled something in Russian. Tony swatted his hand at the words. Not bothering to attempt a translation.

The man sighed and shook his head. He reached over to clutch Tony's arm.

Tony, however, wasn't having any of that.

"I'm not supposed to be here anymore!"

The man snatched the sleeve of his shirt, jutting his jaw. He tugged Tony to his feet and pushed him to the door.

"You're not taking me back there!"

The man threw the door open, forcing Tony to go through. Tony grabbed onto the door frame. But, his limbs didn't want to hold his weight. He was thrown to the floor.

Tony tried to crawl away. The man grabbed him, as he was half way up. Harshly turning him over. Punching him in the face. Tony tried to grab his fists. His limbs refused to work correctly. His tooth was chipped. He was thrown back down.

In the corner of his eye, he saw the man reach to the floor. Picking up a shard of glass. Tony started to move. Started to scramble away. But his foot was grabbed. He was yanked in the very direction he didn't want to go. He put his hands up.

The man broke through, crushing the sharp glass into his face.

Tony gasped, sitting straight up.

Straight into the blue black night.

His heart beat wildly. His eyes were wide. Sweat dotted his skin.

"Tony?"

He rubbed his hand over his face. It was clean. Free of any marks or blood. He pressed the material below him.

Sheets.

Blanket.

Mattress.

"Tony? What's going on?"

He slowly turned. His hands shaking. His eyes murky.

Pepper cupped his face in her hands. Gently raking his hair back.

"I...I...I don't...I couldn't get away."

"Shh, its okay."

She coaxed him to lean forward. He rested his cheek against her chest.

"Everything is going to be okay."

_Everything is going to be okay._

He pulled away from her grasp, standing up.

"Where are you going?"

"I don't know. Downstairs."

He shut the door behind him, padding down the hall. Wandering around. Not really sure of where he wanted to go. He heard the bedroom door being reopened. So he decided, on a whim, to go to the garage. Both hearing and feeling Pepper somewhere behind him.

Tony turned on the lights and went straight for the classic Corvette. He had bought it about a month ago. It was old. Dusty. Worn. His pet project, for now.

"JARVIS, I want to be alone for a few hours."

"Of course, sir."

He went through his music, deciding on an old track by Metallica.

He pretended not to hear, when Pepper tried to open the locked door.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"I think I've got it this time."

"This would be a lot easier if we had, say, the Tesseract."

"Probably."

"Can you hand me the wrench?"

"Sure. Here you go."

"Thanks. Now, if we put this here and attach this there..."

"It should provide the right amount of energy to keep the hypothetical wormhole open, just long enough to go through."

Thor sat upon the couch, tapping his heel against the shiny tile floor. He wasn't even going to pretend to know what Jane and Bruce were talking about. His only interest was the end result.

They were at the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. Having spent nearly all of their time there, since Thor found his homeland unresponsive. Which seemed like ages ago. Though, a couple of weeks, _was_ definitely a lengthy time, when people's lives were at stake.

"It will work this time, will it not?"

"Fingers crossed," Jane said.

He bit his lip, leaning his elbows on his knees.

"Can you turn it a bit?" Bruce asked.

"Sure."

"Now, let's see. All we have to do is plug it in, and..."

There was a spark. A whir. A twirling of machinery.

A stream of pure energy shot from the mouth of the curved metal. Hitting the wall with a loud howl.

Then, nothing.

"Well?" Thor grunted.

"Okay. Nothing to worry about," Bruce said, rubbing his chin. "We're getting somewhere. That's the first time we've gotten an actual reaction."

"Well, we might have to worry about _that_."

Jane pointed to the scorch mark on the opposite wall.

"Nothing a little paint won't fix. At Stark Tower, Tony and I had so many mishaps, we came close to compromising the integrity of the building."

How is he, by the way?"

"Um...he's okay."

"Where is he? I'm surprised he's not on this project."

"He's at home, in Malibu. Pepper thought it would be good for him to be away from everything, for a while. And frankly, so did Fury."

"That's probably a good idea. Get away from all the noise."

Thor's noisy sigh interrupted them both.

"Is there something you want to say?" Jane quirked an eyebrow.

He rolled his head back to look at them squarely.

"I too worry about Stark's well being. But many of my people may be at death's door. We've been at this for _weeks_. As far as I know, I could be too late. Nothing good has ever happened when Heimdall did not let us through the Bifrost."

"Is there not another way to get in?"

"Not unless we have access to some dark and powerful magic."

"Loki can do that, right? I mean, its the _least_ he could do."

Thor shifted his jaw.

"He will not help. No matter how many threats I have made or how much I have pleaded. Besides, his health is deteriorating, even with Stark's reactor."

"We're kind of on our own, with this one," Bruce said.

"Well..." Jane hesitated, seeing Thor's forlorn expression. "Let's just work out the kinks, here. We'll get it right."

"And by then, everyone I know shall be dead."

Thor got up to escape. Leaving Bruce and Jane behind.

"He could be right," Bruce leaned forward, squinting at the screen. "We were able to get this done way faster than I expected. Still, so much time has passed."

"I'm hoping he's wrong. I mean, they have their own military. If they're even half as strong as he is, they should be okay. Right?"

"Unless their enemy is evenly matched. Or stronger."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Thor walked up and down the halls. Fidgeting, ruffling through his hair. He could think better when he was on the move.

Yet, nothing was coming to him.

Why? _Why_ did this have to happen?

He leaned his back against the wall. What would his father do in this situation?

That was a good question.

He most certainly wouldn't panic. And Thor had been getting closer and closer to that.

He gritted his teeth as he continued his trip. An idea slowly crawling forth. The thoughts making his chest feel kind of tight.

Did he want to do this?

He reached into his pocket, to retrieve his phone.

Its not like he had that many options.

It rang and rang, until it went to voicemail. Then again. Then again, when it was finally answered.

"What?" said the gravelly, grumpy voice at the other end.

"Stark, I need your help."

"Yeah, sure, what is it?"

Thor hesitated, "When you found the vials of Loki's magic...was any of it salvaged?"

"Um...no. It was contaminated. Why?"

"I need to get home," his voice was strained. "Loki is too sick, this machine is not creating a portal...I'm stuck."

"...I'll see what I can come up with, okay?"

"Please hurry. _Please_."

"You know I will."

"Thank you."

"Yep."

Thor finally gave in, sliding down to the floor. He ached inside. Nothing was worse than being helpless. Especially for one who was always part of the action.

"You okay?"

He looked up at Jane, standing before him in her lab coat.

"No."

"Bruce is resetting the computers," she sat on the floor next to him. "We should be ready for another test run, by this evening."

"I see."

"We'll get you there. Somehow."

Yes.

But he wasn't going to get his hopes up.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Pepper sat at the kitchen table, her mouth a straight line. Her knees pressed together. Her back as straight as a rod.

Tony swallowed. Tightly gripping the bouquet of red roses.

Oh boy. Here we go.

He cleared his throat. She didn't respond. Only taking a sip of her coffee. So, he slowly walked to the table. Whipping the flowers from behind his back.

"I see you finally decided to come out," she said, not bothering to look up.

"Uh, yeah. I did," Tony answered, voice still gravelly. "Here."

She took the bouquet and placed it on the marble surface.

"Soo, um, are you mad?"

"No. I'm indifferent."

"Ah. Somehow, that seems worse."

"Well, you're not going to listen to anything I have to say. So, why bother?"

She smiled tightly. Tony groaned, shoving his hands in the pockets of his dark jeans.

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what? For changing the locks or disappearing for two days?"

"Both," he rubbed the back of his neck. "Both, would be good."

She glared at him over the rim of the mug.

"What do you want me to do? Huh? Come on, I'll do anything for you."

"Tony, the fact that you think this is about _me_ just shows how out of touch you are."

She marched into the living room. Tony was right behind her.

"Wait, what the hell, does _that_ mean?"

Pepper threw her hands up.

"I've told you countless times that you need to talk to someone about this!"

"I am _not_ seeing a shrink, Pepper."

"Of course you wont. You won't go the healthy route. You'd rather hide in your garage and stay awake for days at a time. And I bet you've had more than enough drinks, in the past few days, haven't you?"

He gritted his teeth.

"Why the hell would I tell some stranger everything about myself? What kind of sense does that make? I mean, even my cardiologist was one of my best friends in college."

"Tony, you have got to stop being so paranoid! Not everyone is out to get you!"

"I know that! I just don't know who is and who isn't!"

Pepper fell back into the couch, rubbing her temples.

"You need to work through this. And not just what happened with this kidnapping. But, _everything_."

"I _am_ working through it.

"You wont even talk to _me_, anymore!"

"Yeah, because you make such a big fucking deal about everything!"

"This _is_ a big fucking deal!"

He rubbed his hand over his forehead. This was getting ridiculous.

"And the fact that you drove somewhere in the state you're in, just makes it worse."

"I went down the street. I went down the street to get my medicine and to get you those stupid, fucking flowers that you don't even like."

"I like the flowers just fine, Tony. But they are far from being at the top of my priorities at the moment."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"You look like you could fall over at any moment. Look at how red your eyes are! What have you even been doing down there?"

"I've been working. Trying to get Thor back home and my next suits done. What _else_ would I be doing?"

"Tony...just go to bed. Okay? Just go to bed and _sleep_."

"Fine. Whatever."

"What kind of medicine did you get, anyway?"

"Pain stuff. This damn arc reactor is making me sore."

He left for the bedroom, not giving her the chance to ask more questions. The alcohol had left his system, but not without giving him with a lovely, pounding headache. And he had quite a bout of nausea. Probably from, yes, drinking on an empty stomach, at some point, and not sleeping. Which even he had to admit he needed. But he had tried to get some rest a few hours ago and it didn't work out so well. Even though he was exhausted.

He grabbed a water bottle from the fridge, on his way. Welcoming the sight of their bed, when he entered the room. Flopping face down, into the soft covers.

"Ohh, hello bed. I've missed you so much."

He rolled over, scooting up to cuddle into the pile of pillows. Something he often rolled his eyes about (why, Pepper, do we need a hundred of these things on one bed?). Secretly, he was glad for them.

He pulled an orange bottle out of his pocket. Unscrewing the top and letting a few pills fall to the quilt. Grabbing all but one, to put back in their place. One pill would relax him enough to fall asleep. Atleast, that's what he had heard and read. He popped it into his mouth, swallowing it down with the water. Then, went to the other side of his room to bury the bottle at the very bottom of his underwear drawer.

Afterward, he closed the door. Stripped from everything, but his boxers. Buried himself in the warm covers, and waited for the medicine to work.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Tony."

He groaned, pushing the hand off of his shoulder.

"_Tony_."

"What?"

"Its Steve," Pepper handed him his cell. "He wants to talk to you."

"Right," he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and grabbed it. "Hello?"

"Hey, Tony. Thor talked to you earlier, didn't he?"

"Mmhmm."

"He mentioned Loki's magic could transport him."

"Yeah, I know. I already told him they didn't have any left from the site."

"Yes, but would Mia have any left?"

"Hmm. Didn't think of that," he yawned.

"Wow, the genius didn't think of one of the most obvious solutions? You must really be going through it."

"Shut up. I'll call her in a bit. See if she can send you some."

"Got it."

"How's Loki doing, by the way? I haven't gotten to talk to Bruce in a few days."

"Well, I've been watching him too, since Bruce started this project. He's...well, not speaking a lot. Not doing a lot, either."

"What can you expect, when he's locked up?"

"We let him outside, some. Even then, he just sits there and stares into space. I think he's depressed."

"No kidding. Can I see him, sometime?"

"I don't know. I'll ask. Does that mean you're coming back?"

"Probably. Sometime soon. Why, do you miss me?"

Steve scoffed. Tony groggily chuckled.

"Its okay, honey. We've got a lot of catching up to do, if you know what I mean. Just don't tell Pepper. She won't like the fact that I've got a side piece."

"Okay, that's my cue to go."

"Tell Loki about the magic stuff, okay?"

"Why?"

"I think he should know. Don't you think? Considering everything?"

"I guess..."

"Right. Good. So, I'll talk to you later?"

"Sure."

Tony's eyes wandered up, noticing Pepper still standing at the door.

"Steve's your side piece, now?" she smirked.

"Whoops. You weren't supposed to know that."

"Do they need you there?"

"Probably. You know they can't function without me."

"Of course not," she rolled her eyes and sat on the bed.

"Still mad at me?" he grunted.

"Little bit."

"That sucks."

"Well atleast you finally went to bed."

"Mmhmm. And I'm going back to sleep, as soon as I make one more call."

"Okay. I'll be joining you, in a few minutes."

She was going to the door while he dialed Mia's phone.

"I do like the flowers," she mentioned.

"Good," he half smiled.

Something she returned. Neither put their heart into it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Edited this one a bit, just a heads up.**

One week late. Sorry about that. I have the bulk of this story figured out (in a sense). But, like I said before, beginnings are haaarrrrrrrrd. Plus, I'm trying to drag myself out of vacation mode. I wanna go back to the beach. I'm hoping I didn't make too many mistakes, particularly with the plot. I'm starting to forget some of my own story. :s

Hope you guys enjoy!

* * *

Mia travelled through the basement of the Adessi main building. Her flat shoes tapping against the white tiles. She studied her surroundings.

How long has it been since she'd been down there?

She rubbed her arms, feeling a chill creep from deep inside. Despite her sweater and the heat being turned up. Winter had definitely arrived. In more ways than one.

"Let's see," she unlocked the door with her key card.

The inside hadn't changed much. There was still the smell of disinfectant, lingering in the air. It was quiet. Though, far from peaceful.

Those were walls that she never wanted to talk.

Mia went to the door beside the medical room. Unlocking it, as well. She drew her finger over the boxes inside, reading the labels.

"Here we go," she grabbed one from the middle shelf.

She struggled, wriggling it from its spot. It was heavier than expected. She gripped the metallic sides, as not to drop it. Once on the floor, she unlocked it and lifted the lid. Inside were the vials of gold liquid. A light, buzzy energy bouncing off of them.

Mia brushed her hand over her forehead. "Snow" wriggled around inside of her.

"Well, that was unnecessarily difficult."

She was actually very surprised that Tony even bothered to contact her. Whatever the problem was, it must have been urgent.

"What are you doing?"

She gasped. Then, letting out a huff of frustration, she smacked her visitor on the arm.

"What is wrong with you?!"

"Calm down," Roberto brushed passed her. "I hope you're not lifting heavy things. Are you lifting heavy things?"

"It doesn't weigh that much."

"Uh huh. Sure," he wrapped his hands around the box, hefting it up. "That's too damn much for you, _Mia_."

She put her hands on her hips.

"Well, since you're making yourself useful, I need that taken to the jet. We're making a trip to New York."

"Since when?"

"Since the Avengers needed it."

"Oh, so they asked the pregnant lady to haul things around for them? You're already high risk. You're lucky you're not on bedrest, yet."

"I'm going to have to keep some security around it. I'll pull that together while you're out there."

"Are you even listening to me?"

"When we get there, we're going to give it to Dr. Banner. I think Tony's going to be there too, but I'm not sure."

Roberto growled under his breath, but went on his way outside of the room.

Mia slowly followed. A twinge of worry inside of her. It didn't seem to be _that_ heavy. Sometimes Roberto liked to exaggerate. But _had_ it been too much?

Her palms stayed pressed against her belly, while she stood outside of the small jet. The baby squirmed around, constantly. She'd been doing that quite a lot, lately. Maybe it was her imagination, but Mia noticed it more, since coming in contact with the magic.

"And the doctor said this was okay," Roberto said, helping her into the plane.

"_Yes_. She said flying is fine, for now. Stop treating me like a child."

"I'm just trying to keep you and the kid safe. If that means protecting you from yourself, so be it."

Mia crossed her arms, jutting her jaw at him. She didn't argue further, however. Remembering the breathing techniques Bruce had taught her for stress. It would be a nice reunion, to see him, Natasha, and the others. Especially since they were under better circumstances.

"Are you ready to see everyone again?" she murmured sweetly to the baby.

She answered by kicking her feet around. Finally settling against the front of Mia's belly. Right ontop of her bladder.

"What, is that your new favorite spot, now?" she sighed.

In the back of her mind, she imagined the child laughing. The same way her dad would, when he purposefully did something to annoy her. She shook her head and chuckled at the image.

Boy, if she took after her father, Mia was going to have her hands full.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Pepper," Tony called. "Did you happen to see where I put that paperwork for the Mach 18?"

He lifted a stack of thick text books and searched underneath them.

"I mean, I have the info saved on the home drive. But, I'd rather have the physical ones, too."

"Its on you office desk," she called back.

"Really? I don't remember putting it there."

"That's where I last saw it," she walked into the garage, brushing her hair. "Are you going to be ready by five?"

"I did say that, yes."

"I set up a meeting with a potential client, tomorrow. Its a smallish company. They think they came up with a breakthrough technology in helping amputees. I was hoping you would join me. They'll be at the Tower at 8:30 am."

"Uugghhh. _Why_ did you have to schedule it that early, Ms. Potts?"

"Not everyone can stay in bed til noon, Mr. Stark."

"Hey, you told me to sleep. So I slept."

"Aldrich Killian and Maya Hansen are going to be representing the company. They're needing some capital, so they will be the first ones we test out for hosting smaller companies."

Tony sifted through his things again, to make sure he hadn't left anything.

"Uh huh. Maya, you say?"

"Yes."

"Hmm. Sounds...familiar for some reason. Well, other than sounding like the name cousin of Mia. _Ouch_."

Pepper sighed, clearing the pile of papers that had fallen on top of him.

"I'm just hoping its not another one of your...previous lovers," she teased.

"Well, you never know."

She playfully swatted him on the arm.

"I'm going to pack a few things, then I'll be ready. Remember, five o'clock. _Remember_."

"Yes, mother."

He had two of the suits he'd been working on. They were packed up and ready to go. The rest were in New York.

Tony trotted up the stairs to the bedroom. Pepper wasn't inside. So, he took the moment to pounce. Swiftly going to the top drawer, shuffling through it. He scooped up the orange bottle of pills and stuffed them into his overnight bag, which he'd left on the bed.

Hey, what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her, right?

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

There was a murky room. Dried grass stuck to his skin, dampened by sweat and blood. Innokenti had pierced him with a rusted hook. Deep in his side, so it split into one of his lungs. He couldn't catch his breath. Blood bubbled into his mouth. The pangs in his side overwhelming his brain to the point of passing out several times. He shook violently, begging and _pleading_ that the man would just force the thing further, so it would splice his heart. They injured him like this over and over again. Why? To see how fast he could heal. To test how strong his magic really was.

To have _fun._

"Loki."

He clutched his sheets. The pain lingered. Biting into him, like an angry phantom. He remembered. Boy, he remembered. But why that specific moment, he did not know.

"Loki."

He opened his eye. Knowing the captain's voice, by now. With a grunt, he sluggishly turned over.

"Get up. Its time to go."

Loki rubbed the sleep from his eye. Happy, atleast, to be back in the real world.

_Why?_

_Where are we going?_

"Do you need help?"

_Well of _course, he nearly snapped. _I can barely sit up_.

But he waved him away. He was fine.

Two heavily armored guards had come too. He had to inwardly laugh at that. What did they thing he was going to do?

Either way, he was hancuffed. Yet a prisoner, once more.

"I guess I should bring you up on a few things," Steve said. "By now, you know about the situation in Asgard."

Loki bristled. Yes, he did.

"Dr. Banner and Ms. Foster are working on a portal to get Thor back there. Apparently, nothing of this Earth will completely work."

Loki paused in his step. He looked at Steve with as dark of a look as he could muster.

The guards tightened their grip on his wrists.

"Keep going," one said, sternly.

"We're not going to suck the magic out of you, the way Innokenti did. We have...other means of getting that. We just need you to help with the science of it."

Loki's shoulders slumped. Sounds exhausting.

"And I have no choice in the matter," he stated, his voice hoarse.

Steve shook his head.

"I told Thor..."

_I told him I _wasn't doing this.

"I know what you told Thor."

Yeah, it was that simple. Loki knew the Captain didn't like him. But he was (typically) cordial.

And this was his cordial way of saying 'I don't give a damn what you want, you're doing this for us'.

Needless to say, Loki wasn't looking forward to it.

When they arrived, Bruce and Jane didn't even acknowledge their entrance. They were too wrapped up in what they were doing. Thor was hunched over on the couch. His darkened eyes met Loki's for a brief second. Loki immediately looked away.

"There's no other way to configure it," Bruce was saying. "The only way we could, is to..."

He looked over his shoulder at the sound of footsteps. Jane followed his lead.

"Oh," he pushed his glasses further up his nose. "You're back...sooner than I thought."

"I thought you might want to get him up to speed, before everyone else gets here."

_Everyone else?_

"Right."

"I'm surprised you were able to get him here without a fuss," Thor grumbled.

Loki growled at him. Thor glared back with stormy blue eyes.

"He had another dose an hour earlier," a guard said.

"So, he won't attack us or anything. Will he?" Jane asked.

"Not with us here," Steve said. "You two can leave him with me. We'll call if there are any problems."

The guards nodded, guiding Loki to an extra chair.

"Okay," Steve said, when they left. "What does he need to know?"

"Well," Bruce started. "We're getting the right amount of energy, just not the right type. See, Thor told us that it takes a lot of magic to travel between worlds. What we're going to do, is multiply the magic we have. Because frankly, I don't think we'll have enough, otherwise."

"Where do you plan to gather this magic?" Loki asked, rubbing his arms.

"From Ms. Adessi," Steve said.

Loki narrowed his eyes.

He thought they didn't know about that.

"Uh huh. And where did _she_ get it?"

"She had bought some of it off of Innokenti, a while back. Before she knew who he was. That's what they were creating their version of clean energy with."

"I see. And she still had some left."

"Yes."

Ah, so that's what she had told them.

He nodded, but clenched his teeth. Still bitter about the fact that she wouldn't get _her_ punishment.

"Something wrong?"

"Not particularly joyous of that being used."

"What else would you have us do?" Thor asked.

"Perhaps if you had paid attention when we were young, you would have the answer to that," Loki growled.

"And what good have you been, lately? Had they not forced you here, you would not have helped."

"No one _forced_ me to do anything," Loki sighed.

Boy, was he tired.

"Is that so?" Thor got up. "Then why had you not helped before? When I practically _begged_ you to? Seems to me that you were forced."

"Perhaps its only _you_ I don't want to help."

"Guys..." Steve warned.

Bruce cleared his throat, "But, the reason you're here, Loki, is to sort of...manipulate it, I guess."

"Why do the geniuses not do it themselves?" Loki muttered.

"We would, if we had more time," he simply returned.

He wasn't about to let Loki get a rise out of him.

"So, what do you want me to do until she gets here? Sit and stare at you fools all day?"

"We were hoping you might educate us on this?" Jane said.

Loki looked at her through half lidded eyes.

"Not a chance."

"You wouldn't have to come here, anymore."

"I'd rather take the chance to stretch my legs. Take in the sights."

He smirked at her. She made a noise in disgust.

Thor stepped forward, blocking Loki's view of Jane.

"It seems as though you are trying to cause trouble for yourself."

"What's wrong, _brother_? Can't stand a little competition?"

"Trust me, there is none," Jane said.

Steve chuckled. Bruce fidgeted with his glasses. He didn't like what Loki's presence was doing to the once peaceful energy of the room.

"Oh, if I had a few days with you, you would change your mind."

"Loki I _swear_," Thor started walking around and around his chair. "You are the most insufferable, obnoxious..."

"What?"

"_Brat_, that's what! And you should not be talking so, considering you're still handcuffed."

"Okay, you two," Steve said. "Loki, behave."

"Me? I _am_ behaving."

"_Loki_."

He rolled his eyes dramatically.

"I was just _kidding_. Why should I want to lay with his spoiled leftovers, anyway?"

Thor spun to take a swing at him. Loki immediately jumped to his feet.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Steve stepped inbetween them.

"Spoiled leftovers?" Jane snapped.

"Yeah, it was a great idea, including him," Bruce said.

"Sheesh, this place just falling apart without me, isn't it?"

Tony walked in with a sly smile on his face. Looking everyone over. Steve shook his head, annoyed, but unable to hide a grin. Bruce rounded the machine to greet his friend.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Mr. Stark," he said.

"How long has it been?" Tony scooped him into a tight hug. "Two, three years?"

"A few months," Bruce chuckled. "You know that."

"That's all?" Tony smoothed the wrinkles from his jacket. "Guess I was going through withdrawals. Hey, Stevie Wonder. You're just gonna stand there and not give your _best friend_ a hug?"

"Pffft. I don't know who you're thinking my best friend is," Steve teased.

But he hugged him, anyway.

Tony went on to greet Jane and Thor. Loki just sat there, chin in hand. Not giving them any attention.

"So, what's up with you?" Tony asked Thor. "Why so grouchy?"

"Talk to _him_," Thor pointed at Loki. "I swear I cannot take it anymore."

Tony lifted an eyebrow at Loki. Loki glared at him and turned away.

"Hey, you mean you guys are letting me in the same room with him? Aren't you scared I'm going to suddenly turn into a souless robot who wants to kill everyone?"

"_Tony_," Steve sighed. "We don't think..."

"I know. I know. It's S.H.I.E.L.D. protocol. Blech," he turned to Loki. "Hey, guy. Haven't seen you in awhile."

Loki made the dramatic move of scooting around, where his back was facing Tony. He would have crossed his arms, had he not been handcuffed.

"Oh, don't do that. Come on, now. First time I've seen you in months and you're going to pout?"

Tony poked him in the back. Loki shrugged him off.

"Apparently that's all he's good for," Thor muttered.

"Who _asked_ you?" Loki snapped.

Bruce sighed under his breath. Jane twisted her mouth to the side, wanting to get as far from him as possible.

"Okay, babies, don't start fighting. We have too much to get done. Mia's flight will land in about two hours. I'd like to be caught up, before then. That goes for all the magical, so called 'science' stuff you know about, Loki."

Loki turned briefly to glare at him again.

"Ah, ah, ah. Don't give me that. I need you to do this for me."

Loki answered with a grunt.

Bruce and Jane went through the details of their work. Tony paid close attention. Though keeping his eyes on Loki.

"I'm hoping we get this finished today," Bruce continued. "Tomorrow, at the absolute latest."

"Right, right," Tony rubbed the stubble on his chin. "Are you getting that, Loki?"

He still refused to speak. Sitting in the corner, pretending they didn't exist.

"I'm assuming he got it."

"My problem is," Jane said. "We only know how this works on _our_ side. From what I understand, Asgard is on a somewhat different time frame than we are."

Thor nodded at her questioning expression.

"Also, its billions of light-years away. We don't exactly have a cell tower there. How will we know when to open it again?"

"Maybe he won't return," Loki jeered. "Maybe he'll get stuck there and you'll never see him again."

"Ignore him," Steve said.

"That's getting more and more difficult." Thor muttered.

Jane sighed, rubbing her forehead.

"Is there anyway to contact you after you get there?"

Thor slowly (bitterly) looked in Loki's direction.

"Oh," she said. "Of course."

Tony straightened up and left the group for the lone man. He pulled up a chair next to him and sat down.

"Hey," he said. "I know this isn't what you wanted. But, can you please do this for us?"

Loki glowered at him.

"Yeah, I can see you're mad at me. And everyone else. But this is kind of an emergency."

"It seems as though the only reason you kept me around was so I could slave away at whatever you people need."

"Oh, come on. You know that's not true."

"Isn't it, though? As far as I know, you've fallen off the face of the planet. Now that you _need_ something, you suddenly show up."

Oh boy. This wasn't going to be easy to fix.

"You know why I haven't been able to visit you," he said quietly. "You _know_ why."

Loki's head hung low. He still wouldn't look at him. But the coldness of his anger melted slightly. Giving way to the sadness that was there all along.

"I've said this before, I'll say it again. Get S.H.I.E.L.D. to like you. Or atleast be useful enough for them to tolerate you, like I did."

Loki snorted, trying to hide a chuckle.

"As far as I know, they will just lock me away until they need me."

"You won't be there forever."

"_I'm_ the god of lies, Stark. Remember?"

Tony patted him on the back.

"Hey, you've got me on your side."

Loki gave a tired half smile.

Yes, he supposed he did.

Atleast, he hoped so.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

There was heavy traffic for some reason or another that day. Causing Mia to come in rather late. She walked in, head high, mouth straight. Roberto right behind her. Her hair had grown a little past her ears. She smiled softly to everyone there. Faltering, when her eyes landed on Loki. His face stayed blank, not giving her an inkling to what he was feeling.

"Hi...everyone," she said.

They all politely greeted her. Bruce gave her a hug and asked about the baby. Loki just huddled in his corner, ignoring the hubbub.

"I assume you've got the stuff?" Tony asked.

"_Yes_, Tony."

"Its right here," Roberto said. "And its heavy so, I need to know where to set it."

"You can put it right over here," Jane guided him to a side table.

"So, what is it you want me to do?" Mia asked.

"Um, you just sit tight," Steve said. "Loki, we're going to need you, now."

He went over to bring the handcuffed man to his destination. Loki didn't bother resisting. That didn't mean he was any less annoyed.

"What am I getting out of this?" he grumbled. "A bigger prison cell? A coloring book? A cookie?"

"Where do we start putting this in?" Steve asked Jane.

"Here," she pointed.

She already had a vial in hand. Tony went over to grab a few more, while Bruce prepped the machine.

"So, we just pour it in?"

"Yes."

They opened the vials and let the golden liquid drip out. Thor was shifting from one foot to the other. His eyes locked on everything they were doing.

So was Loki's.

"Do you think this is enough?"

"I think you should use some more."

"We shouldn't use all of it."

"I'm not."

"Just put three more in."

"Okay," Bruce said. "Ready to go?"

"One second," Jane said. "Okay. Let's do it."

The power was turned on. There was a spark in the air. Stronger than before.

"Ready?" Tony asked.

Loki dragged himself into position with a low growl, as he went.

"I need my hands, incase you've forgotten."

A few of them looked wary. Other's seemed worried. Thor watched with his large arms crossed, flexing his hands in and out of fists.

Loki ignored him.

Steve loosed him from his bonds, staying very close, incase he tried anything.

Loki took a deep breath. Outstretching his arms. The energy pulled toward him, dancing through his fingers. Warm and soft. It seeped into his blood, giving him a little bit of a boost. He remembered what his (Thor's) mother had taught him. Imagining the stars and the galaxies and everything they would pass on the way to Asgard. It was taking some time for enough of the magic to build up. Humans and their silly machines...

"Is it working?" Thor asked.

"Of _course_ its working," Loki snapped.

"My apologies. It just seems to be _taking so long_."

"Guys, please," Bruce rubbed his temples. "Let's not start this again."

Loki refocused on the task at hand. Even though he wasn't the one producing the magic, it was cumbersome and tiring. He was barely able to keep his arms from shaking as he worked.

He heard a small gasp from Jane's direction. The doorway was slowly starting to open. Thor stepped forward, ready to jump through at any moment.

"Now, just wait a minute, big guy," Tony said. "You're not going anywhere until you give us a proper goodbye."

"Make it quick," Loki grumbled. "Its almost finished and I'm not holding it open forever."

Thor nodded. Smiling at them.

"I do hope we aren't apart for too long."

"We could come help, if you want," Steve said. "After all you've done for us."

"I thank you for the offer, but you're needed here. Norr has yet to be found and I wouldn't put it past him to attack when you are gone. Those of magic tend to like cowardly trickery."

Loki ground his teeth, growing hot with anger.

"Please be careful," Jane said. "And try not to be gone as long as before."

"Of course," he smiled fondly at her.

The first time it reached his eyes, in a while.

"If you two love sick idiots don't mind..." Loki said.

Jane sighed. They'd talked a lot about this, the other night. Still, it wasn't compared to the act of leaving.

"I love you," she kissed him.

"I love you, too."

They all bid him farewell. All except for Loki, who met his gaze with venom.

Thor returned it.

He stepped through to the other side.

And after a brief second, he and the doorway were gone.


	3. Chapter 3

Late again. Sheesh. Sorry bout that. This one is short and sweet, with a little bit of fluff. I also edited the second chapter. Reread it and hated it. Nothing was changed, as far as the story, but I just fleshed it out more and fixed some of the dialogue. Also, I misspelled Maya's name. I was going to recheck the spelling before I posted it, but ended up forgetting. Next chapter should be up with the regular every other Wednesday schedule. I think I've gotten through the rough part of it. I hope.

Thanks as always for the support. Hope you like!

* * *

Loki sank back into his seat, leaning over in a casual sense. Nope, that didn't hurt. Nope, he wasn't out of breath. That slight sheen of sweat on his forehead, yeah, that didn't mean anything.

"Now," Bruce said. "We wait."

Jane tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "The hardest part."

"Come on. Its Thor," Tony said. "He'll be okay. I think."

Loki rubbed the sweat from his forehead. _Thor isn't invincible,_ he wanted to say.

Knowing that fool, he could easily get himself killed.

"And you can sense when he needs to come back?" Steve asked.

Loki shrugged, "If he doesn't forget where I dropped him off. Though his level of intelligence may prove that he will."

"Well, I don't see _you_ going there," Jane muttered.

"What was that, darling?"

She spun on him quite violently, "Do NOT call me that."

He held his hands up.

"So defensive. I suppose his temper has rubbed off on you."

"My temper. YOU are the cause of my temper!"

Mia grabbed her arm.

"Let it go," she said calmly. "The more you react, the worse he gets."

Loki crossed his arms and lifted an eyebrow at her.

Jane brushed her away and stomped out. Steve went after her.

"Sensitive," Loki rolled his eyes.

"You were being rude."

"I was merely speaking the truth."

_And why are you still here, anyway?_

"No," Tony said. "You _were_ being kinda rude."

Loki's irritated gaze was then placed on him.

"Don't look at me, like that. I think you should apologize to Jane."

"Excuse me?"

"Look, you don't get to just treat people like shit. People are more likely to be understanding when you treat them properly."

"All I want is to be left alone," Loki threw his hands in the air. "Is that so much to ask?"

Tony gave a long sigh.

"Come on, Rudolph."

"I am tired," Loki grumbled. "I wish to go back to my room."

"Uh huh," Tony paid him little attention.

Going right over to Mia.

"Aww, look at you," he grinned. "How far along are you?"

"About five months. Going on six."

Tony held a hand out.

"May I?"

"I suppose so," she smirked. "She's been moving around like crazy, today."

Loki slowly, unsuspiciously, moved his gaze to her.

Tony pressed his hand against her belly.

"I better not let Pepper see you," he said. "She might want to start having babies and I'm not sure I'm ready for that."

"She wants kids? With _you_?" Mia chuckled.

"Hey, who wouldn't want to replicate someone as smart and beautiful as me?"

Loki snorted. Tony gave him the finger.

"She said something about it in passing, a while back. I dunno. Maybe not so much, now."

Mia cocked her head, "Trouble in paradise?"

"_No_," Tony jutted out his jaw. "This just...isn't a good time."

"Oh. I see."

"Hey Loki, look," Tony pointed to Mia's stomach. "Baby."

"Yes, I see that," Loki said, dryly. "My parents _did_ have the talk with me, when I was younger."

"I'm just saying, you want to make a change? Spend some time around new life, instead of death."

Mia gave Tony a thankful smile. She'd been wanting to talk things through with Loki for a while. However, a heavily secured and surveillanced S.H.I.E.L.D. base wasn't the place to do it.

"Yes. I think that would be a good idea," she said. "Though, if you mess with her, I'll kill you myself."

Loki rolled his eyes, "I would do no harm to...your child. I'm not an imbecile."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that."

She grabbed his hand, startling him. Bringing his palm to her rounded stomach. He tensed up, at first, but relaxed under her grasp.

"I'm all for whatever will rehabilitate, this man," she said to Tony.

Loki bit back a smart remark, instead, focusing on the fact that he still hadn't gotten used to the role that would soon be bestowed on him.

If he were to ever get out of this _new_ prison.

"Her name is Snow," Mia said.

Loki lifted an eyebrow and wrinkled his nose.

"What?"

"Nothing. I just...that's an odd name."

"_I_ think its a beautiful name."

"Whatever Mother wants, right?"

He looked up at her. She looked back at him. Their eyes briefly locked on each other, until Loki, surprised, pulled his hand back.

"Did you feel her kicking?" Mia beamed.

Loki glanced unassured at his hand.

"That's what that was?"

"Yes."

"Huh."

He put his hand back. A smile tugging at his lips, when he felt the flutter of his daughter kicking, again.

"That's really something," he said to Mia.

Not sure what to say, otherwise.

"Tony," Steve peaked through the door. "They want Loki to come back."

"Okay. Got it. Come on, Rudolph, I'll walk with you back to the stable."

Loki grunted. He wasn't ready to go.

But, it wasn't like he had a choice.

"Come on," Tony helped him up from the seat. "Let's get going. I'll see you two in a bit. How long are you staying around, Mia?"

"I'll probably leave tomorrow morning."

"So, _can_ you sense Thor?" Bruce asked. "For when he needs to come back?"

"Is that not what I said?" Loki grumbled.

"Just be ready. For when we need you again."

"Whatever."

Loki found himself being bound by the guards. Steve lead them on their walk. Tony stayed by his side.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"So, this is it, huh?"

"Yes."

"Its tiny, but, well, not horrible. Atleast you have your own bathroom."

"Mmm. Try being here twenty four seven."

Loki eased onto his bed, pulling his legs up, so he could sit comfortably.

"How've you been?" Tony asked. "Besides being in cramped quarters."

"Okay."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Other than the fact that his health was deteriorating, he was always exhausted, and having to push down a bunch of toxic emotions.

Yes, besides that, he would be okay.

"Yeah, I've been staying around the house, mostly. Not the same as a prison, of course. But, still, nothing much."

"Have you heard anything unusual from the outside?"

"Like?"

"Norr? Any of Innokenti's lackey's? Anything?"

"No. Its been pretty quiet, honestly."

"I see."

"Something wrong?"

"It just seems rather strange. I know plenty of time has passed. It makes me wary that they haven't shown themselves."

"Well hey, I'm glad for it, whatever reason they have. I needed a break from the last time. And I know the rest of them did, too," he nodded to the door.

"Still..."

oooooooooooooooooooo

Thor landed in the middle of the thick forest of trees. The same that he and Loki used to play in, when they were children. Imagining themselves fighting Frost Giants, dark elves, and magnificent monsters.

It was quiet. One of the suns shone brightly above. There were no sounds of battle.

He took a deep breath of the fresh air. Then, started his trek home. It wasn't far from there, if he remembered right.

Hoping against all hope that nothing horrible had happened.

That it was an over reaction.

That everything would be fine.

He spun Mjolnir around his wrist and took off into the air.

Where he found that everything was not fine.

In fact, it was the furthest from it.


	4. Chapter 4

Day late. I was sick the other day. If this chapter is a little rushed, I apologize in advance.

I'm trying to decide whether to take more of the movie route or comic route, when it comes to the Extremis storyline. Hmm.

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy it.

* * *

Perhaps he was in the midst of a nightmare.

Yes, that must have been it.

That _must_ have been it.

Thor landed on the Bifrost, which was surprisingly unscathed. He ran to the far end, where Heimdall's post was. The inside was empty. There were scorch marks on the golden walls. Though, thankfully, no blood upon closer observation.

Thor quickly left the area and raced to the palace. Catching glimpses of dead and mangled bodies in the streets below. Both soldier _and_ civilian.

_Please be okay_, he thought to his mother and father. To his friends. To the people he had known his entire life. Please_ be okay_.

He landed at the entrance. The doors had been blasted open, the metal mangled and twisted on their hinges. Soldiers lay lifeless on the floor. Some torn apart, some charred and unrecognizable. The smell of death clung to the air. Added with rot.

They had been there for a while. Though not two months time. His surroundings were silent. He thought of crying out, to see if anyone was there. But maybe not a good idea. He stayed against the wall, stealthily taking a corner. Hammer raised to hinder any hidden enemies.

There were none.

They had come through, destroyed everything with seemingly little effort. And simply left.

What could do this?

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The next morning (way too early morning) Tony followed Pepper downstairs to the second floor. Yawning and fidgeting with his tie. He couldn't understand how she could move so damn fast when his legs felt like lead.

"They should be here in ten minutes," she said.

"Mmhmm."

"Hey," she snapped her fingers. "Look alive, back there."

"Mmhmm," he saluted her.

She smirked.

"Are you going to be able to make it through without falling asleep?"

"Mmhmm," he went ahead to open the door for her.

They greeted the executives inside, shaking their hands. Taking their seats. Pepper went over a few more things with Tony while they waited.

And there they were, at exactly ten minutes. A tall man with thick, wavy hair and a gray suit. Followed by a woman in a white button up, with dark hair and kind eyes.

_Then_ Tony remembered why her name sounded so familiar.

"Hi," she offered her hand. "I'm Maya Hansen. This is my partner, Aldrich Killian."

"Nice to...meet you," Tony smiled. "Ms. Hansen."

Pepper looked over their information in the computer, "It says here that you're based in Austin?"

"Yes," Aldrich said, the two taking their seats. "Futurepharm."

He went on to explain the basics of their main project. Tony remembered it. Rewriting the repair center of the brain. Quite a feat, really. Meanwhile, he was more preoccupied with trying to catch the eye contact of Maya. To see if she recognized him. After all, it wasn't that long ago. He half heard Pepper asking what their needs were, what their projections were. He wasn't really focused enough to hear the answer.

Oh well, that's what the paperwork was for, right?

"And what is this bit called, again?" he suddenly asked.

"Extremis," Maya answered.

"Uh huh," Tony tapped his chin. "Super Soldier Serum part one hundred seventy five."

"It sounds quite brilliant," Pepper narrowed her eyes at Tony. "But also very risky."

"Risky as in a massive, nationwide lawsuit," one of the company lawyers muttered.

"Yes, it _is_ risky," Killian said. "But just think of what good would come from this. Think of the veterans who have lost limbs. Children with rare forms of cancer. Anyone with any incurable disease will benefit from it."

"Yes," another executive said. "It would be different if it were _just_ that. Having the ability to create such strong individuals on a whim is dangerous. What if this got into the wrong hands?"

"I assure you, if we let the fear of bad people rule what we create, no one would be innovative. Don't you agree, Mr. Stark?"

"Yeah. I'm not arguing with you on that."

"It just seems to be a bit much for what we're looking for, right now," Pepper finished.

Killian nodded, twisting his mouth to the side.

"I see."

They thanked them for their time. Tony shook both their hands again. Maya smiled politely, but there was a hint of disappointment there.

Tony didn't try to convince the executives to change their mind. It didn't matter to him. That didn't mean _he_ wasn't personally interested, though.

So, when he left the room (Pepper had some other things to attend to) he swiftly caught up with Maya.

"Hi."

She turned around, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Oh, hi. Mr. Stark."

"That's an interesting concept you've come up with. You know, I think I've heard of a similar idea from a young woman in Switzerland a couple of years ago."

Maya chuckled. She pulled a slip of paper from her pocket. On the front, a formula. On the back, a message. From him.

"I didn't forget about you, Tony. You're the one who helped me get through the block I had, then."

"Wow," he smoothed out the wrinkled paper. "You kept this?"

"It has one of the breakthrough formulas on it. Of course I kept it."

"Hmm. Oh look. It still smells like me."

"Ha," she took it back from him.

"Where did your partner go?"

"He said he forgot something. Should be back in a moment."

"You said you've had a fifty percent success rate with this?"

"Yes. We just haven't been able to get any human testing done, yet. That's the next step if we could just get the funding."

"And it can cure anything."

"Yes."

Tony mulled it over.

"Let's talk about this further. Dinner. On me."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Thor had gone all over the palace. Every corner. From the top floor to the dungeons. No living soul could be found. Not even in the prison cells. Those who were not dead had vanished.

Now, here he was in the town square. Sitting on the edge of an intricate fountain, which was no longer running. Not to mention it being scorched and shattered like everything else in the area.

He ruffled his fingers through his hair. Maybe he _should_ have asked one of the guys to come along with him. It would certainly be easier.

Maybe.

He then got up.

He couldn't stay stagnant, but where to even _start_?

Thor spun the hammer around his wrist an flew into the air. Hoping to see more from the sky. Evening was setting upon the tattered city. He would have to hurry, if he was going to get anywhere today.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Loki awoke swiftly.

It was strange. He _felt_ strange. The lights in his room were still on, but dimmed. His white sheets had been flung away from his body. He supposed while he'd been sleeping.

"Well, I haven't seen you in awhile."

Loki searched for the owner of the voice. She was next to him. But not confined to the wheeled chair, he'd become accustomed to.

"Romanoff?"

"Feeling better?" she smiled.

Her lips were red, her dress was red, everything was red.

"I...suppose."

Natasha sat on the edge of his bed. She gently stroked his hair.

"I missed you. A lot."

Loki took a deep breath.

"I missed you too. What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you," she cocked her head. "Is that so bad?"

"No. Not at all," he took her hands. "Not at all."

She suddenly got up.

"I brought someone else to see you."

He felt his belly ache. But ignored it.

"Who?"

Her image flickered. Distorting and doubling. Her beautiful red dress turned into black feathers. And soon, she was no more a woman, but a raven. Its eyes black as coal. Liquid, inky substance running from said eyes.

It spoke in old Norse. In another old language that he didn't know. He understood what it said to him, but at the same time, he didn't. It spoke of Ragnarok. It spoke of his death. Its words were physical manifestations that made his brain feel like water.

And before he knew it, the bird was gone.

Thor was there.

And he had his hammer high above his head, ready to crush Loki with a single blow.

He gasped and sat up. His hand out. A futile attempt to protect himself.

The crash didn't come. Loki warily opened his eye.

He was gone, just like the raven.

Natasha was there. Those big green eyes looking over him with concern. The wheel chair parked next to his bed.

"Loki? What is it? Are you okay?"

"No," he rubbed his forehead. "No. I don't know. I don't know what's happening."

"Shh," she brushed her thumb over his cheek. "Calm down. Calm down. Its going to be okay."

"I feel terrible..."

"I know, sweetie."

Loki never heard Natasha refer to him as 'sweetie' before. That just didn't seem to be in her nature. He didn't question it outloud. No, because she had just pressed her lips against his cheek. His eye widened. Then, she moved to his lips.

Well, needless to say, he wasn't expecting _that_. But he wasn't so surprised that he didn't return it.

Though, when she pulled away, her lips were redder than before.

Loki reached up, pressing the tip of his index finger against his own. His mouth tasted metallic. His vision doubled. He sat straight up, hoping to atleast make it to the floor, but he was throwing up before he could go anywhere. All over his sheets.

And in streaks of red.

His heart beat faster. Natasha was no longer there. No one was.

What the hell was wrong with him?

He clutched his sheets, spitting blood on the floor. Coughing it up. It tasted awful.

Somehow, those guarding him heard him or saw what was going on via camera.

They were the last things he saw, before passing out.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Night had finally fallen upon the land. Thor had made it to the outskirts of Asgard, where there were only small homes dotted along the forest. Birds sang their last songs of the day, before succombing to sleep.

He knew he would not find sleep so easily.

He could hear life inside some of the houses. But they were locked tight. And no one refused to answer the doors.

He supposed he couldn't blame them.

So, there he was. He'd taken some supplies from home and found a clear spot to make camp. Hiding within tall grasses, hoping to be unseen by enemies. Loki always did this. Hiding somewhere or another. Not appreciating the typical sleeping in the clearing, when they would go on their adventures.

_"Why should I make myself a target, Thor? Where is the point in that?"_

_"Only cowards hide," he would snap back. "I wish one of them would sneak up on me. So that I may show them what a true warrior may do."_

_"Those who use their brains are the ones who survive. Trickery is not cowardly, you fool. It is a survival technique."_

A survival technique indeed.

Oh if only that little fool were here with him now. They always did better as a team. Even though neither one would admit to it.

Thor gazed at one of the moons. Shining so brightly that night.

What should he do next?

Surely his friends had survived. His mother. His father. They were nowhere to be found. Unless kidnapped by the same terrible enemy that had ripped their world apart.

No.

He couldn't think of that.

Not right now.

Late within the night, he fell asleep. Whether it was a few minutes or a few hours. But he was awaken by a crash in the brush.

Immediately, he sat up. Clutching the handle of Mjolnir. The intruder wasn't intimidated and kept coming for him.

Though as soon as it showed itself, it must have wished it hadn't.

It was thrown back a good few feet. Metal hitting metal. The Chitauri's helmet fell off. Its eyes shone like an animal at dark. A hideous animal at that.

Thor bared his teeth and ran after it. He supposed it hadn't had enough, when it galloped toward him. Thor drew his arm way back and slammed Mjolnir against the creature. Sending it into the air, once more. It landed where he couldn't see it. But it was most certainly making quite a racket. Thor hurried into the thick underbrush and trees. Ready to finish it off.

But someone else was there to do it for him.

She heard him approach. Eyes wide, when she saw who it was.

"Sif?"


	5. Chapter 5

Hello, everyone. Sorry, after all this time I hadn't actually updated a chapter, but I do have some news. I'm going to take about a two month hiatus, to rework this half of the story. Its weird, starting over with a new title kind of threw me off my rhythm. But, basically, I'm going to delete this (not immediately, but probably in a week) and rewrite all the first chapters. Some parts in the story I put in sooner than I was originally going to. And now, well, I don't really like how its turned out. So, sometime in December I'll post the new chapters and just put them in Ambivalence, instead of doing it as a whole new thing, like I was. Apologies! Anyway, I do hope ya'll continue this journey with me, as I get my crap together.


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